BitTorrent to launch paid version of uTorrent

BitTorrent today announced that it will launch a premium client called µTorrent Plus this fall. The new client will be aimed at those who are looking for extra convenience and powerful new features.

The company made a point to assure users µTorrent Plus is an additional release and that it will not be replacing any of the company's current offerings. The free µTorrent client will continue to be available, and will receive the same level of commitment and development resources as it does now.

BitTorrent said it is not yet ready to release all the details, but did say that µTorrent Plus is designed for people who are looking for a single solution to find, get, and play content on any device. It will eliminate hassles with codec and conversion issues, struggles with device shifting, and so on.

It's not yet clear if this project has something to do with codename Chrysalis, a new BitTorrent client that went into alpha back in March 2011. Either way, if you want to stay up-to-date on the latest news, participate in invite-only betas, and reserve your spot to get the new µTorrent Plus first and with special discounts, you can sign up at utorrent.com/community/labs/plus.

Earlier this month, the BitTorrent protocol turned 10 years old. There are numerous BitTorrent clients available for multiple computing platforms, the most popular of which is µTorrent. Version 3.0, which adds many new features, was released last month.

In January 2011, the company revealed that BitTorrent and µTorrent hit 100 million monthly users. On an average day, 20 million users from over 220 countries use either of the two BitTorrent clients, available in 52 languages, and 400,000 new clients are downloaded every day.